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“Hare Krishna!” Film to Start US Nationwide Release This June

By: Madhava Smullen for ISKCON News on May 5, 2017

The film's poster

“Hare Krishna! The Mantra, The Movement and the Swami Who Started It All,” a ninety-minute documentary film about the life and achievements of ISKCON Founder Srila Prabhupada, will start its nationwide roll-out in the U.S. this June.

The ambitious film, originally titled “Acharya” and directed by John Griesser (Yadubara Das), has been much-awaited by ISKCON devotees and congregation everywhere. Co-directed by Jean Griesser (Visakha Dasi) and Lauren Ross, its crew includeds many second generation devotees, such as editor Krishna-Shakti Sanchez and set designer Kuvaleshaya Zakheim.

“Hare Krishna!” is being distributed by Abramorama, who recently distributed Ron Howard’s Beatles documentary Eight Days A Week, so devotees will finally see Prabhupada’s story reaching the mainstream.

An epic trailer was released on the major film industry website Deadline.com last week. The documentary will receive its world premiere at Illuminate Film Festival – the largest conscious cinema festival in the world – in Sedona, Arizona on Saturday June 3rd.

Hare Krishna! will be screened at 3:45pm in the Mary D. Fisher Theater for the Festival, and a Q&A with director Yadubara Das and co-directors Visakha Dasi and Lauren Ross will follow, as well as live kirtan.

Prabhupada's childhood: a re-enactment scene from the film.

Tickets for the event go on sale May 9th, and there are only 115 seats available, so those interested are advised to book quickly at http://illuminatefilmfestival.com/ If the screening sells out within hours, another showing will be held on June 4th.

“As this is our world premiere, the film will be in the running to win the much-desired Audience Award,” says Yadubara Das. “So please spread the word and invite your friends and family to come and be part of the enthusiastic audience!”

After the premiere, the nationwide release of Hare Krishna! will begin in New York City on June 16th at the Village East Cinemas and in Los Angeles on June 23rd at the Laemmle’s Monica Film Center. Opening dates in other cities will then be announced.

“We encourage devotees and congregation to start making plans to visit New York and Los Angeles, so that our screenings will sell out in the first week,” says Yadubara. “This will create a buzz around the country!”

“Hare Krishna!” tells the story of how Srila Prabhupada left India at seventy years old and arrived in America without support or money in the turbulent 1960s. It then explores how he ignited the worldwide cultural revolution of spiritual consciousness known as the Hare Krishna movement.

Prabhupada among the hippies of San Francisco.

The film is shot in 16:9 widescreen format and uses never-before-seen interviews, location shots, archival footage, and beautifully realized re-enactments – including scenes of Srila Prabhupada’s childhood and his perilous Jaladuta voyage.

It covers the extraordinary achievements Prabhupada made during his twelve years in the West, while credits scenes show incredible statistics about what his society has done since – how many temples have been built, books distributed, and plates of free vegetarian food served to name a few.

Yadubara, who has been documenting Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON since his 1974 film “Hare Krishna People,” comments, “Over time, I have come to intimately know Prabhupada’s life story and teachings, and in whatever professional or personal path I have taken, have always felt him to be a prominent guide in my life. It is exciting beyond words to revisit his extraordinary life, and share it with others in a film that I feel will offer rare insights into his multifaceted personality, and his enduring message of happiness and hope.”